Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tornado Toll

"Missouri tornado death toll rises to 132; Funerals begin for victims of the disaster" by Nomaan Merchant and Alan Scher Zagier, Associated Press / May 28, 2011

JOPLIN, Mo. — Friends and family paid tribute to victims of the Joplin tornado yesterday, beginning the grim task of burying the dead as officials said the savage storm’s death toll had risen to 132 people....

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"Tornado death toll highest since 1950

JOPLIN — The death toll from the monster tornado that devastated Joplin rose to at least 139 yesterday, and state officials said 100 people are still missing. Overall, tornadoes killed 523 people so far in 2011, making it the deadliest year for tornadoes since 1950. A teenager believed to have been ejected or sucked from a vehicle in the massive tornado last week on the way home from graduation has been found dead in a pond near the truck, a member of his family said yesterday (AP)."

Also see: Tornado Talk 

Not much talk of floods, either:

"Winter, summer collide out West; On Memorial Day, still shoveling out" by Steven K. Paulson, Associated Press / May 28, 2011

And WINTER WON!

DENVER — Ski resorts are bustling with activity. A key highway into Yellowstone is closed because parts of the road have seen more than 25 feet of snow. And campgrounds are feverishly removing snow from campsites to clear the way for visitors.

Welcome to Memorial Day weekend in much of the West.

The traditional kickoff of the summer season will have a decidedly wintry feel in the Rocky Mountains, as well as California’s Sierra Nevada, because of a lingering record snowfall....

In California, a historic Sierra Nevada snowpack is making Yosemite National Park’s springtime cascading waterfalls especially beautiful — and dangerous, with several accidental drownings already of people who failed to keep away from thundering waterfalls and swollen creeks and rivers.  

I have seen them at this time of year!!!

But snow has kept rangers from installing a cable railing that helps hikers maintain their footing at Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome....  

This strange spring....

“It will be nice and warm.’’

That does it!  Time to get off the Boston Globe mountain.

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Yeah, nothing about it actually SNOWING in COLORADO

It's all some sort of pack, all right.